putting a lathe in the basement-mistake?

SDE

Well-known Member
I bought a South Bend 13 by 5. Estimated weight of 1500 lbs. If I put it in my garage, the garage will never be a two car garage again. I have a walk out basement and I do not think it will be to difficult to get it in the basement. The basement is very damp during the summer months. Is putting a lathe in a house a bad idea? I do not anticipate using any cutting oil, so I do not think it will be a smelly mess.
Thank you
SDE
 
A moist environment for a lathe isn't good. Even with oil it is hard to control rust. Maybe keeping it covered with a cloth tarp would help.
 

I think you can put a lathe in a basement without ruining the machine. I also think you're going to need to take steps at eliminating moisture. Keeping an oscillating fan on all the time helps. Year round temperature control will make a huge difference. A dehumidifier can be very helpful.
 
I have a damp basement in the summer - added a dehumidifier. Makes a big difference and they don't cost too much.
 
It's a bit more work to use a machine in a damp place like a basement but can be done. When you are not using the lathe just spray everything you can with WD-40 and just let it sit wet with it. Then when you get ready to use it wipe it down with a rag and some paint thinner. I have a wood shop in a place where rain blows in from time to time so it gets more than humid. The WD-40 prevents the cast iron tops from rusting.
 
If its a walk-out basement I do not see the moisture issues you guys are talking about. I think it will be fine as long as better half is ok with it. You might find its a more interesting hobby to use in the winter with some fun projects you might not try if out in non heated shop.

Joe
 
You can control the humidity in the basement with an adequate sized dehumidifier, but it is very difficult to control the humidity in a garage with the door opening.
 
I'm more concerned about your plan to never use cutting oil! Unless you are turning wood and plastics cutting oil is pretty important especially when drilling, tapping or using a cutoff tool. The good news is most any light oil can be used so smell isn't a huge issue
 
Some heat in the space during the colder months will control humidity and rust on equipment. In the summer a dehumidifier or some air conditioning will do the same. Many wood lathes have been successfully used in basements. They do need good dust control. If it is a metal cutting lathe, I doubt you could control the cutting fluid fumes (either water base or oil base) well enough to prevent the smell from getting everywhere in the house, including the bedrooms and the clothes closets.
 
I have a Lathe, mill, ect. in a walkout basement. I live in the woods so damp in the summer time. I just keep a small fan on 24/7 and no problem. A dehumidifer uses alot of electricy
 
Metal chips stuck to the bottom of your shoes taking a ride upstairs may be a bigger problem than the humidity. I use my lathe in my basement and have to sweep the floor and vacuum each time I use it or I get chips in the carpet upstairs.
 
A bit of dampness aint gonna hurt it.
I was a shipboard machinest in the Navy.
We had big 8'x8' double doors that opened up with monorails that stuck out about 16' to bring in heavy items from the pier or ships alongside. In port, weather permitting, they were usually open.
Nothing more corrosive than salt air.
We just kept all our machines well lubed and never had an issue with rust.
The ship was 30 years old when I got on it as were our machines.
 
A dehumidifier will do ya. Just set it up with an auto or gravity drain - you don't want to carry buckets of water outside constantly. You'll find that it isn't the machine that gets rust, because it's well oiled (should be anyway). It's all the tooling and measuring tools that aren't stainless. Keep the RH around 50% and you're fine.
 
Get some of those wood platforms with casters from harbor freight and a floor jack. That's how I moved mine around.
 
i would not do basement with those two choices, if you do do the wd40 all suggesting rest of house will also stink as that stuff does, you will track chip in also. its bad enough to keep houses clean as it is.
 
(quoted from post at 03:44:19 09/28/17) I agree on the metal chips - keep a spare pair of shoes just for the basement if you turn metal.

As for the rust/dampness issue, rather than WD-40, I would HIGHLY recommend the product Boeshield T-9.
https://boeshield.com/

I completely agree with not using WD-40, it will evaporate. Way back when.. I was working for a machine shop that closed it's doors for a week when everyone went on vacation. The owner sprayed everything down with WD-40 and closed the doors. When we came back 9 days later everything in the shop was covered with surface rust. Remember the owner being really frustrated over the whole mess.
 
Go to the lumberyard and get two of the most warped boards you can find . Bolt the warped boards to the lathe like rockers. Roll to edge of stairs on 1/2 EMT pipes. Attach come along . Push tension onto cable shove down first stair . Work down with come along. Roll to location on warped boards , Remove warped boards. To reverse action attach cable to tractor and reattach boards pull up stairs and out with tractor.
 
Thank you for all the replies. Now if any of you want to help, I might slide it in the house on Saturday. Just kidding.
 
No matter which place you put it you will need rust control unless you have both heat and A/C. By FAR the best product for rust protection is CRC 3-36, check out the ratings on any machine tool forum. Other reason to keep the lathe out of the basement is smell. lathes smell all by their lonesome, turnings covered with oil smell and get worse as they age. hot oil on turnings smells. Unless you dont use it much at all and your basement is like living space put it in the garage, that's my advise.
 
Don't know where you are in Ohio but I am assuming that you get snow sometimes and along with that frequent temperature swings in the garage. These create condensation and you won't be happy with the rust that develops. My choice would be the basement and a dehumidifier for good measure. Ask any motorcycle owner where they would store their bike if they had the choice.

An easy trick is to get a sheet of VCI paper (Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor) and cover the machine with it when you are done. The vapors stop corrosion and it lasts quite a while. It's available on line but if you ever get to Western Michigan stop by our shop and I will give you some.

So far as metal chips in your shoes I just keep a pair of shop shoes that I use when doing machining and I change back to street shoes when it's time to bail out.
 

My dad had most of the tools including a table saw in a true basement for 50+ years and never had rust. He did run a dehumidifier in the summer. I would Boeshield everything.

Walkout basement is the BEST kind, friend bought a house just because of one. Had his collection of rare racing motorcycles down there, and could just roll the bike in and out. No monkey nonsense with the stairs...it's the only way to have a basement....
 

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